Editorial Reviews

To celebrate the release of its 50th box set, Trojan Records asked the members of its online forum to suggest some hard to find tracks for a reggae rarities anthology, and the end result is this intriguing three-disc collection that scoots all over the place. Disc one, which covers Jamaican releases from 1966 to 1969, is probably the strongest of the three, yielding gems like the Soul Leaders' laconic "Pour On the Sauce," Gladstone Anderson's "Chances" (culled from the pianist's debut album, 1968's Glad Sounds), and "Worries (A Yard)" by the Versatiles, featuring lead vocals by a young Junior Byles. The second disc covers 1969 to 1973, and includes Boris Gardiner's powerful Hammond B-3 instrumental "Darkness," the Cables' "(Name) Ring a Bell" (with founder Keeble Drummond on lead vocal), and the great Slim Smith covering Billy Stewart's "Sitting in the Park." Disc three concentrates on British releases from 1970 to 1977, and although the U.K. reggae scene is often deemed musically inferior to the Jamaican one, there are some wonderful tracks included here, particularly on the pop side of things, like Tony Nash's orchestrated "Keep On Trying," the Cimarons' "Check Out Yourself," Danny Ray's moving "Just Because," and the Marvels' "Touch Me Baby," which manages to suggest how the Supremes might have sounded had they abandoned Motown for reggae. There are a couple of missteps, like Gene Rondo's ill-advised reggae cover of the Allman Brothers' "Ramblin' Man," but the highs far outweigh the lows throughout the set. True reggae fanatics will treasure this anthology of rarities, while novice listeners may want to check out some of Trojan's other 49 box sets first. Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

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